News and Trends 27 Nov 2019 Scientists Turn Crop Waste into Fragrances with Microbes A team of researchers in Brazil and the UK has developed a fermentation technique to turn plant waste, such as wheat straw, into a valuable chemical used in the fragrance industry. In a study published in the journal Green Chemistry, the scientists used engineered Escherichia coli bacteria to break down sugar cane and wheat straw, […] November 27, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 26 Nov 2019 Rare Inflammatory Disease Drug Beats Immunosuppressants in Phase III A small molecule drug developed by the US company ChemoCentryx and its Swiss partner Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (VFMCRP) was more effective at treating a rare inflammatory vascular disease than current treatments in a phase III trial. The drug avacopan was trialed in 331 patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. This life-threatening condition […] November 26, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 Nov 2019 Novartis Enters RNA Therapeutics with Medicines Company Merger Novartis is to acquire The Medicines Company and its late-stage RNA interference drug designed to protect against cardiovascular disease in twice-yearly shots. Novartis will pay €8.8B ($9.7B) to acquire The Medicines Company, which is based in the US and focuses on developing the RNA drug inclisiran for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and renal impairment. […] November 25, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 22 Nov 2019 ViiV Healthcare Licenses Long-Acting Antibody to Attack Hidden HIV The UK company ViiV Healthcare will begin a phase IIa trial of an antibody licensed from the National Institutes of Health in the US that could block HIV transmission for longer than current antiretroviral therapies. The antibody is currently in an ongoing phase I trial run by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, […] November 22, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 20 Nov 2019 Spanish Researchers Produce Straws Made of Bacterial Bioplastic An industry-academia collaboration in Spain has developed drinking straws based on a bioplastic produced by bacteria that are expected to enter the market in the next few months. The collaboration includes the company Ocenic Resins and the academic institutions Jaume I University and the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, all based in Spain. The […] November 20, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 20 Nov 2019 €39M Series B to Fund Biopolymers for Surgery and Implants The French company Tissium has raised a €38.8M Series B round to fund the development of polymers that can be used to repair blood vessels and nerves. Contributing to the round were newcomers to Tissium such as the European Investment Fund and returning investors such as the investment bank Bpifrance and French life sciences […] November 20, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 19 Nov 2019 CRISPR Cell Therapy Shows Early Promise for Treating Blood Disorders CRISPR Therapeutics and its US partner Vertex Pharmaceuticals have released the first clinical results for a cell therapy made using the gene editing tool CRISPR/Cas9 in patients with genetic blood disorders. The interim results concern two patients enrolled in different phase I/II clinical trials testing the same therapy in two blood disorders: transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia and […] November 19, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 19 Nov 2019 US-French Deal to Tailor Ultrasound Therapy to Brain Cancer Patients The French company CarThera has teamed up with the US firm Kiyatec to study the effects on individual patients of an ultrasound therapy to deliver brain cancer drugs to the brain. Under the agreement, Kiyatec will test the effects of chemotherapy on cells taken from CarThera’s ongoing phase I/II trial in patients with brain cancer. […] November 19, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Nov 2019 Update: Single-Shot Vaccine for Chikungunya Lasts for a Year in Phase I Update (18/11/2019): French biotech Valneva has revealed additional phase I results concerning its experimental chikungunya vaccine; all 68 patients that were given a single injection of the vaccine showed sustained protection after 12 months. The company is currently running a phase II study and plans to launch a pivotal phase III trial next year. Update […] November 18, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Nov 2019 Cellectis’ Off-the-Shelf CAR T-Cell Therapy Shows Solid Tumor Potential An off-the-shelf, gene edited CAR T-cell therapy, developed by the French biotech Cellectis, could be used to tackle solid tumors, which have so far been beyond the reach of other CAR T-cell therapies. The approved CAR T-cell therapies Kymriah and Yescarta contain genetically modified immune T-cells that can fight certain types of blood cancer. However, […] November 14, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 13 Nov 2019 Mass Layoffs as Dutch Biotech Cancels Phase III Cell Therapy Trial The Dutch company Kiadis Pharma has discontinued the development of a cell therapy in blood cancer, laid off half of its workforce, and switched focus to other, less advanced cell therapy programs. The abandoned phase III trial was testing Kiadis Pharma’s lead cell therapy for the treatment of graft-versus-host disease, a complication of stem cell […] November 13, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Nov 2019 First Results Out for Off-the-Shelf CAR-T Therapy in Solid Tumors The Belgian company Celyad has released the first interim clinical efficacy data for an off-the-shelf CAR T-cell immunotherapy in solid tumors. The interim results come from an ongoing phase I trial in patients with colorectal cancer. Of the 12 patients given Celyad’s CAR T-cell immunotherapy so far, six have seen their tumors shrink. The therapy […] November 12, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email